Staff reporter

Long Itchington residents have formed a group which gives a clear message to speculative development companies and against Government planning policy - “leave our village alone”.

Members of LOVA are aiming to raise the profile of their ‘plight’ with most houses in the village displaying the group’s posters to show the strength of feeling against a ‘swamp’ of planning applications.

Stratford District Council has suggested in its emerging Core Strategy that the number of new houses to be added to the village of some 950 homes would be 106.

But permission was granted for 150 last year and a further 58 last month with three more applications being processed, which could lead to an additional 230 being built.

Charlotte Collyer, of LOVA, said: “We are not against growth - our country needs housing.

“But with permission for 208 already granted we feel we’ve had more than our fair share.

“This is even highlighted in the emerging Core Strategy and a recent interim report. The inspector states that ‘the council would have to robustly justify any further increase’ in the number of new houses in local service villages, such as ours, as it could lead to dispersal.”

“We now have no faith in the planning process as adverse effects on visual impact, highways, local wildlife, sustainability and residents’ views all seem to be given absolutely no importance.

“This is a nationwide issue but also a very local and life-changing issue for us in Long Itchington.”

Villager Brian Smith added: “We’re happy to take a share of the housing needed to be built in the district but not three times what both the district council and the Government feel we should have to accommodate.”